There are some answers you can have, even at 19.

(NOTE: I WROTE THIS ARTICLE WHEN I WAS 19. YET, I STILL THINK IT IS RELEVANT. SO, I THOUGHT I WOULD GO AHEAD AND PUT IT BACK OUT THERE.)

Bigot, hypocrite, narrow-minded, prejudice, intolerant, ignorant, condemning, and judgmental. Because of my conservative Christian beliefs I have been called them all more than once on this campus. I have been told that because of people like me the world will never make any progress.

Most of the time I deal with these comments person-to-person, I do my best to explain my beliefs to them and dispel any negative impressions that they may have of Christians. But after a recent conversation with Mark Woods, an English professor, I felt the need to speak a little louder.

In reference to the weekly Bible study I host on campus, Professor Woods said, "When a young person comes up to me and tells me that they aren't sure what they believe, I tell them that they are brilliant; but when a 19 year-old girl is sure she has all the answers, I call that an idiot."

Professor Woods, I completely understand, and I agree with you that college is a time to learn. It is a time to be open-minded and to find out what you believe. I agree that there are a lot of things at 19 that you cannot know, simply because you haven't lived long enough. I would even agree that there are some questions that people will never know the answers to.

But to Mr. Woods, and to anyone out there who feels the same way, I have this to say…

Although there are many things you cannot be sure of as a young person, there is one thing you can know for sure. And despite the fact that many people consider it ignorant, I believe that at 19 you can know for sure that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to salvation, joy, freedom, truth, and life.

When I write, I write in order to bring awareness of something, or to encourage people. I am writing this to bring awareness to the unfortunate misconception, which seems to be spreading, that Christians are narrow-minded and intolerant. I am also writing this as an attempt to encourage any young person who is skeptical of proclaiming Jesus as the only answer, for fear of being small-minded, to no longer be afraid.

Being a Christian and having a relationship with Jesus couldn't make you further from small-minded or intolerant. Any prejudice that I held before I knew Jesus vanished once I came to really understand Jesus, his love, and his acceptance of us all. Rather than blinders being put on, my eyes were opened. I like the way C.S. Lewis (a former atheist) puts it when he says "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

Now that I am a Christian, now that I have accepted Jesus as the only way, is my mind shut off? Can I not still learn, and grow, and mature, make mistakes, and experience life? Of course I can, in fact, I have just begun to experience life -- my mind has finally been opened.

I understand exactly how Thomas Merton felt when he wrote, "By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet."

Christians should (and notice that I said should) be the most compassionate and accepting people alive. Because of my relationship with Jesus I understand that if there is equality for all people that it is found in His love, not in us. Jesus does love us all; therefore, I know that we are all equal. I know that we are all the apple of His eye, whether we're black, white, rich, poor, gay, straight, Democrat, or Republican; and he wants all to come to the knowledge of him.

I hope that people will begin to see Christians in a better light. I love every person on this campus and if I bother people with my passion then I make no apologies for it. I cannot just sit back and keep what I have found all to myself. If I have accomplished anything with this column, I hope that I have encouraged at least one person to stand firm in their beliefs that Jesus is real, and that he really is the only answer to life; and that does not make you close-minded or intolerant or ignorant.

Suprised by Joy

Fifteen-years-old, unwed, and pregnant is not exactly the kind of stuff fairy tales are made of. However, this was my life.

I will never forget the moment it dawned on me that I may be pregnant or that long night in the hospital when my suspicions were confirmed by a brunette nurse who came over to my ER cubicle around 2 a.m. and said, “Well, hon, it looks like you are pregnant.”

Instantly, all of my options ran through my head: abortion, adoption, or keep it.

Despite growing up in a very Christian, pro-life home, I couldn’t completely rule out abortion as an option. Actually, because I grew up in a Christian home, I was even more concerned about my family finding out I was pregnant. I knew it would be a huge disappointment for them.

Not only, I thought, would I disappoint my family, but I wondered what everyone at school would think. I was only a sophomore in high school. I had seen other pregnant girls at school, and they seemed so different from me. I couldn’t believe I was going to be one of them.

I looked up abortion clinics online, found one here in Louisville, and called to find out more information. The lady on the phone asked, “Do you want to have an abortion?”

I answered, “Yes.”

To this day, and probably for the rest of my life, I will remember what it felt like to hear myself answer yes to that question. It felt like a hundred bricks were pressing on my heart.

Then the lady at the clinic went on to tell me the procedure would cost $600 and that they only perform abortions on Saturday mornings.

Yet, I never went to that clinic, and I never had that abortion. Instead, I confessed to my family that I was pregnant and despite their sadness, they were loving and compassionate. I’m positive that teenage pregnancy wasn’t something my parents would have planned for their daughter, but in reality, it was their daughter’s life and they loved me through it.

Just last night I watched the movie “Bella.” At the beginning, the narrator states, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” This made me smile.

I never planned for my life to go the way it has. I never planned to become a mother at such a young age—but I also never knew I’d be so happy that I did.

The famous author, C.S. Lewis, often used the phrase, “surprised by joy,” and I believe that phrase could be the theme of every teenage mother’s life.

Getting pregnant at 15 and raising my son has not been an easy experience. Although I have had amazing support from family members on both sides, it has still been the source of many struggles and tears. However, it has also been the source of countless joys and laughter.

Of course, there are some difficult days when I am frustrated and just wish I could have a so-called “normal life.” But it is times like these that my son, Jonathan, tells me he loves me, learns to count to a higher number than he could before, tells me a new joke he has memorized, or learns how to write a new letter of the alphabet, and once again, I am surprised by joy.

You can’t always plan your life or understand it. Teenage pregnancy is definitely one of those things you don’t plan for or understand.

If you are struggling as a young mother or father, you’re the family member of a young parent, or you are pregnant now, I want assure you that although things may seem hopeless at the moment and you may feel that your life is ruined, you are wrong.

Every day I look at my son, and I thank God that I did not abort him.

No matter how tough raising a child can be as a teenager, you will be amazed by how often you find yourself “surprised by joy.”

A message to the GOP: shape up or we're shipping out!

I am an American conservative. Therefore, I value a truly limited government, maintaining the rule of law, fiscal responsibility, free markets, civil liberties, and a humble, no-nation-building foreign policy.

When I first entered the political arena I assumed, as many still do, that the Republican Party would be the most fitting place for a person with my convictions.

Much to my surprise, I was wrong.

What I discovered within the Republican Party was a much different reality.

I found that the Republican Party is no different than the Democrat Party — except it’s more dangerous.

The GOP as it is now is more harmful to conservatism than the Democrat Party will ever be, because it enacts liberal policies while simultaneously claiming to be conservative. Thus, it is deceiving the people and diluting the real meaning of conservatism.

The current Republican Party is composed of big government sell-outs, progressive imperialists, militant Christians, and worst of all, the far left neo-cons who embody the biggest problem with our nation today.

The neo-conservatives have strategically hijacked the GOP, Washington, and the media, and have been extremely successful in shaping public opinion.

I believe Congressman Ron Paul of Texas accurately describes the state of our nation when he says:

“…those who lead us—both in the administration and in Congress—show no appetite to challenge the tax or monetary systems that do so much damage to our economy. The IRS and the Federal Reserve are off limits for criticism or reform. There’s no resistance to spending, either domestic or foreign. Debt is not seen as a problem. The supply-siders won on this issue, and now many conservatives readily endorse deficit spending. There’s no serious opposition to the expanding welfare state, with rapid growth of the education, agriculture and medical-care bureaucracy. Support for labor unions and protectionism are not uncommon.

Civil liberties are easily sacrificed in the post 9-11 atmosphere prevailing in Washington. Privacy issues are of little concern, except for a few members of Congress. Foreign aid and internationalism—in spite of some healthy criticism of the UN and growing concerns for our national sovereignty—are championed on both sides of the aisle. ”

My fellow conservatives, we must not be satisfied with this state of affairs. We must not sit idle while our country falls into shambles. We must stand up and shout at our party, the GOP, with the message:

“Enough is enough. We want our country back! We want our philosophy back. We will no longer be deceived. We no longer give up anymore of our freedoms to support your welfare state and your policing of the world!”

My fellow conservatives, we owe it to our mothers and fathers and we owe it to our children; we owe it to the first Americans, who founded this Republic on ideals far different than those we are seeing now in the GOP, and we owe it to future Americans.

If we continue to let the neo-con controlled GOP deceive us, or anyone else, into thinking that they stand for what we stand for, then our country is in great peril and our truly conservative principles will become nothing but a long-forgotten dream.

My fellow conservatives, if you are like me then you voted for George W. Bush because you wanted to shrink the size of government, not triple it. If you are like me then you supported George W. Bush because you believed in a foreign policy of non-intervention — but were then told that we must “fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.”

Did George W. Bush ever think that maybe they want to fight us over here because we are over there, and have been for decades?

Our current foreign policy is a far cry from President George Washington’s warning about the dangers of entangling affairs with other nations.

The Republican Party is not conservative and we can no longer let it convince the American people that it is.

As true conservatives we have only two options: to reform the Party, or leave the Party.

I believe that the 2008 presidential election is our last chance to reform the party by electing Ron Paul. Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo are the only candidates in the race who have not sold out. Ron Paul is the only candidate in the race who is pro-life, a strict constitutionalist, and a proven advocate of slashing the size of government. Moreover, he is also against the Iraq War and has been from the beginning.

However, if we genuine conservatives do not succeed in electing Ron Paul, I believe our only option is to completely leave the GOP and form our own party — one that truly stands by our conservative principles.

Women Should Demand Smaller Government in 2008

"Women’s issues," in the political sense, are not exclusive to women. I believe any woman's issue is everyone's issue, and every person's issue is a woman's issue. As the Independent Women’s Forum says, "All issues are women’s issues." I believe government should treat all citizens equally. Thus, when government treats women unequally, even if it's for their so-called "advancement," it is not acting within its mandate, and it becomes an obstacle. Therefore, the main issue for women in the upcoming election should be better and smaller government for all.

The size of government must shrink in several areas, including education. As a mother, I am concerned about my child's education, and I am frustrated with the current educational system because I cannot choose which public school my son attends. I live in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and my son's assigned public school is dangerous and inadequate. Therefore, I choose to pay an absurd amount of money to send him to a private school on the other side of town. I am paying tuition on top of taxes for his education. This is not right, and the problem will only get worse. However, by breaking up the government's monopoly on education, we can restore innovation and competition to our schools.

When monopolies rule, little choice exists, and little that is constructive is accomplished. What if the government assigned you to shop in a particular grocery store each week? Without incentive to win customers, stores would not worry about selling spoiled milk or out-of-date goods. That sounds insane, but that is what America is doing with its public schools. Returning control of education to parents should be central in the 2008 elections.

Property rights also affect women. Today, women are wealthier and own more property than ever before. Owning property is a right that women worked for decades to achieve. The right to own property is fundamental to a free and prosperous society. Yet, this right to own property is being compromised by eminent domain, zoning laws, building codes, rent control, regional planning, property taxes, resource management, and public health legislation, all of which remove basic property rights from owners and transfer them to the state, while simultaneously raising the costs of property ownership. In the 2008 elections, women must support candidates who will work toward eliminating federal and local regulations that deny property owners their constitutional rights.

Another issue that affects women is welfare. Because I had a child at age 16, I know the need for money. I could have spent a lifetime collecting welfare checks, and nothing in the system encouraged me to do otherwise. However, the government should not be a young mother’s crutch. Welfare is not good for anyone. It is not fair to taxpayers who pick up the tab for failed programs, to society where community, church, and family are increasingly pushed aside, or to the young women trapped in a system that destroys opportunities and, thus, the futures of their children. In 2008, women must vote for a candidate who is committed to ending the welfare state and replacing it with a society that encourages education and offers real opportunity.

A decrease in the size of government is also needed on a global scale. George Washington warned us about becoming entangled in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries, and, as a woman serving in the U.S military, I especially feel the consequences of international entanglements. Women serving in the military, and women serving at home while their loved ones are overseas, struggle to raise their children. In 2008, we must support a candidate who is dedicated to ending the war in Iraq honorably, but with all due speed.

All political issues are indeed women's issues. I believe that decreasing the size of government should be the goal of all people, particularly women. With a woman running for president, with women owning more property and starting more businesses, and with more women than ever before serving in the military, women must play an active role in the 2008 election because women now have much more at stake. This year women must work tirelessly to elect a candidate who stands for limited constitutional government, lower taxes, free markets, a return to sound monetary policies, and a successful, workable foreign policy.

For Kentucky to keep winning, it must be allowed to play the game.

Indisputably, horse racing is Kentucky’s signature industry. It creates billions of dollars in revenue and employs over 100,000 people. However, competition from surrounding states is threatening to rob Kentucky of this trademark.

Whether you like it or not, casino gambling is a fact of life all around Kentucky’s borders. Race tracks in virtually every other state have added casino gambling in the form of slot machines to their tracks. This results in more revenue for the track, higher purses, better horses, more tourists, more jobs, and an overall enhanced economy.

It’s a fact that people follow money.

Every dollar that gets dropped into a racetrack slot machine serves several purposes. According to a USA Today article, about one-fourth goes to the racetrack itself, another fourth goes to operating costs and the occasional payoff for lucky players, another fourth goes to the state in the form of taxes, and the last fourth is added to the purses offered to the jockeys and horse owners. This means that the world’s greatest horse owners, who once raced at Churchill Downs or Keenland, will now race their top notch horses in, say, Delaware or West Virginia, where they can receive higher purses for themselves and their jockeys. Who could blame them?

In addition to losing our first-class horses, if Kentucky does not step up to the plate, we will also lose our best workers. Immigrants make up an immense proportion of the people employed by the horse industry. As the legal immigrants move to work for the more prosperous race tracks, Kentucky tracks will hire illegal immigrants, resulting in additional negative effects on the economy.

Kentucky is still number one in horse racing, but there can be little doubt that, over time, this competition from other states will have an adverse impact on Kentucky horse racing and the horse industry in Kentucky, unless Kentucky is allowed to freely compete.

People must look beyond emotional arguments and look at the facts. The market does not care about whether you like gambling or not, it cares about the bottom line.

If we want Kentucky to retain its status as home to the best horses in the world, then we must allow Kentucky to compete in the free market without restrictions and no longer deny Kentucky’s horse tracks the right to casino gambling.